A date for the diary

‘CASINO NIGHT’

Black Jack, Roulette, Chuck-a-Luck

Friday 14th November

7 for 7:30 Crail Community hall

Tickets £25

Includes supper and £10 worth of gaming chips

All monies to local charities and the upgrade of coastal path benches

More information from Ian Brunton 07971 525107

We had many items of business to cover at the 3rd November meeting. The club’s ‘Christmas Post’ will again be run from 4th to 18th December, with delivery at 50p per card. Monies raised will be donated to local charities that could do with immediate support.

Benches that Rotary installed on the Coastal Path a number of years ago now need to be repaired or replaced and work is in hand to decide the best course of action. With mention of the coastal Path, a committee has been established to consider running the Coastal Path ‘walk’ in 2026. 

The Waid Academy debate, normally taking place in November, is postponed until February and the Primary School Quiz will be in March at Pittenweem primary school.

Wednesday 5th of November will see Rotarians helping Round Table members with their fireworks display when the promenade will be shut off from traffic. 

With more information elsewhere on the website, the ‘Casino Night’ is taking place Friday coming, 14th November in Crail community hall. We look forward to the Rotarians from the Angus Glens club coming down and lending their expertise for what should be a fun night.

Following all the business items, club member Malcolm MacDonald was our speaker. He entertained with a well-researched talk on the history of Cellardyke. We heard the likely origin of the name from ‘sillerdyke’ or ‘silver dyke’ - the effect of fish scales residue on walls. We heard much of the fishing industry - whaling too - but also of press gangs of smuggling and of the many industries that sustained what was a self contained community. It was all lightened by colourful snippets of spme of thre characters from those times.What was particularly interesting was just how many businesses, shops and traders did exist so many years ago. What was also a sobering reminder was just how basic living conditions were, with very simple small cottages, no running water and only the most elementary of outside toilet arrangements. 

Following questions, Eric Govan proposed a vote of thanks.

Looking ahead the club will meet for its traditional Christmas meal on the 15th December.

Business at the 13th October meeting included a brief mention of the evening’s later Council meeting, which will be discussing the upcoming Casino night and this year’s ‘Rotary Post’. We were also pleased to hear that Colin Campbell, who has retired from active club membership, will become an honorary member. During his active membership years Colin made significant contributions to the work of Rotary.

Speaker for the evening was club member William Duncan who entertained us with his usual ‘slabbers’ as he calls it. It was nonetheless very interesting to hear his anecdotes of the early days of the club. He started off by mentioning where Anstruther Rotary first met (in Elie) before moving to the Smugglers Inn. He went on to speak of some early members and their involvement in WW2. He had a fund of anecdotes about quite a few members from past times.

For more recent members it was interesting too to hear about the club’s ‘Christmas Post’. Now long established, it was originally started in order to raise funds for the Rotary Polio Plus campaign. Started in 1985, this remains an active campaign, that over the years has raised $2.1 billion from countless volunteer hours, to help eradicate this dreadful disease for 3 billion children in 122 countries.  

In response to this entertaining talk, President Ian Brunton proposed a vote of thanks noting William’s memorable quote that ‘Behind every successful man is  a very surprised Mother-in-law’!! - we may hear more of this.

Business at our meeting of 29th September covered the forthcoming ‘Casino Night’ in Crail Community Hall on the 14th November and also a possible Rotary walk. This was followed by a short EGM. 

Following business and a meal the speaker was Andy Hancock, who was brought up in SW England and joined the Navy at 18. He served for 37 years before retiring to the East Neuk 3 years ago, where he has more or less hand-built his own house.

Andy was a Warfare officer and spent 20 years at sea in a variety of warships, before working as a staff officer in a number of shore appointments. His final nine years of service were as a Defence diplomat in  Latin America - and that is what his talk was about and illustrated with pictures of people and places - some of places that he got to, that the ordinary tourist doesn’t; eg Cave of (Selenite) Crystals in Mexico - some measuring 12m long and weighing 55 tonnes! These were  discovered by miners in 2000, where the cave can be 58 degrees C with 95% humidity!

It was a fascinating talk: on entering diplomatic service Andy first of all did a crash course learning Spanish - and Spanish spoken in South American countries can be very colloquial and different to that spoken in Spain. He then became Defence Attaché in Mexico.

It was here that Andy’s talk entered the world of James Bond and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy! We were treated to tales of spying and sussing out who was a spy. It was fascinating and provoked many questions. Apparently ‘It’s all about WHO you know’.

A most entertaining talk and following many questions a vote of thanks was proposed by Irene Walker.

Our club meeting of 15th September met as usual at Anstruther Golf Club, with a meal in The Rockies restaurant. Business covered the upcoming golf competition on 25th September and the ‘Casino Night’ planned for 14th November in the Community Hall, Crail.

Speaker for the evening was Claire, based in Kirkcaldy and representing the SSPCA. We learned much about this leading Scottish animal welfare charity. Now protecting, treating and caring for any kind of animal, the charity was founded in 1839, when its major work was with horses and donkeys - very much the essential for travel and for work in those times.

Now costing £63,000 per day to run it operates 7 days a week and 365 days a year. We learned of the work of Animal Rescue Officers, Inspectors, Animal Care Assistants and Special Investigation teams. These latter currently involved with puppy farms and puppy smuggling.

It was particularly interesting to hear of the range of work undertaken, with community vets and vet nurses and a wild life hospital mentioned. On the more saddening side was the campaign work undertaken to highlight and abolish malpractice in animal welfare.

This was altogether an interesting and enlightening illustrated talk, admirably presented by Claire. Following many questions a vote of thanks was proposed by Ian Brunton.   

After a Summer break, the club restarted regular meetings on 1st September. Meetings are fortnightly on Monday evenings at Anstruther Golf Club, with a meal and a programme of talks in The Rockies Restaurant. 

We were not able to hold our final 23rd June meeting at ‘The Rockies’ as usual; so we had a day out. This took us to ’The Himalayas’ putting course in St Andrews - and then a barbecue by the West Sands. Putting was, shall we say, variable - and hastened on by a brisk and not very warm breeze. But it was good fun and The Himalayas provided one or two challenges for even the most dedicated golfer. The BBQ however was excellent.

Later in the summer we enjoyed an outing to see the remarkable locomotives owned by Mr John Cameron, CBE at Balbuthie farm - and then, still enjoying the great weather, fish and chips at the harbour in Pittenweem during the festival.

After much debate the club decided for a number of reasons not to organise the Coastal Path Charity Walk this year. We were pleased that our new venture of an ‘Alphabet Hunt’ attracted interest, with 30 groups taking on the challenge and prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd. 

We were also at the Anstruther Harbour Festival, St Monans Sea Queen and Pittenweem Arts Festival and would like to thank everyone who came along to our stalls there. We were delighted to meet people for a chat and would like to give a special mention to Rotarians from Sydney, Australia and from North Carolina, USA - truly a world-wide fellowship.

At each of the events raspberries, blueberries and strawberries generously donated by Barnsmuir and Grangemuir farms were hugely popular and rapidly sold out. At Anstruther we also had geranium plants donated by Ian McBain. The  50/50, 1 - 100 number square there also sold out - twice - each day, with four winners each getting £50.

As always money so generously donated will go to charities and good causes; particularly in mind this year is CHAS. 

The choir was out and about too, with a concert in Pittenweem church during the Arts Festival and then to Lower Largo, with visits to St Monans and Arncroach in the diary for later in the year. 

Looking ahead, our plans are progressing to offer two Waid Academy students the opportunity to go to RYLA - the Rotary Young Leadership Award programme at the Abernethy Outdoor Centre in Nethy Bridge. An outstanding course designed to help and encourage young people to develop their leadership skills before going on to higher education, or to the world of work. We also intend to again organise the Schools Quiz for our local primary schools.

Looking further ahead planning continues for a ‘Casino Night’, Friday 14th November, at the Community Hall in Crail and provided, very professionally, by fellow Rotarians from the Angus Glens club. Please keep an eye open for more publicity.

And a final word from club president, Ian Brunton, to say thank you once again for your help, encouragement and support